“No, no! I don’t need Miss Curtis. I’ll tell you what I have thought of,” she went on. “You know, Lilith hasn’t been feeling quite up to the mark lately, and she is so handy with children, I have been wondering if it wouldn’t be a good plan to ask her to go with us. I am sure she would like nothing better.” “First-rate. Unless the children are really ill Lilith will do as well as any one.” “Of course, we must have a physician. Can you spare Dr. Abbe?” Her father gave a little laugh. “He must be obviously fit, since we both had him in mind.” “And I, too,” smiled Mrs. Dudley. Polly clapped her hands softly. “He is so shy,” she explained, “I think he will do better than any one else. He won’t be bothering round--like Dr. Marston, for example.” “Dr. Abbe is a fine young fellow,” commented the physician. “And a good doctor, isn’t he?” “He is all right,” nodded her father. “But suppose he shouldn’t want to go? I heard that Dr. Leggett is hoping _he_ won’t be called.” “Leggett has too many interests here in town.” “One big interest,” Polly smiled. “Dr. Abbe is too diffident to look at a girl; but the children like him immensely. He is bashful even with them--I have noticed it. Strange he should be, so able a man.” The Doctor looked at Polly meditatively. Only that afternoon he had seen this same shy young surgeon stop to gaze from a window that commanded the garden where Polly was gathering sweet pease. He wondered now if it would be wise to send Dr. Abbe to Overlook. Polly glanced up from her plate to meet her father’s eyes. “What is it?” “I was thinking--how should you like Dr. Prowitt, instead of Abbe?” “Oh, father, the children can’t bear him! Little Duke would have a fit, if he were along. Didn’t I tell you what he said? The Doctor had just been in, and Little Duke looked up at me and asked, with a queer expression, ‘You like him, Mi’ Duddy?’ “‘He’s all right,’ I answered. He eyed me closely, and then said,--‘Docker Prow’t is a b-i-g w-i-n-d that comes down the street ’thout any sunshine.’ And you ought to have heard him say it--away down in his throat. No, I couldn’t stand ‘Docker Prow’t’ up at Overlook!” They laughed; then the physician grew grave again. “Well--I didn’t know,” was all that he said; but he left the table still wondering if he ought to send Dr. Abbe. Of course, there was just a chance that Polly at the sweet-pea bed might not have been the brilliant objective point of the Doctor’s eyes. If only this had been the first time! Well, perhaps he and Polly could compromise on one of the others. The girl, however, had no doubts concerning the wisdom of selecting the shy young surgeon for the House physician of Overlook, and within an hour she had settled the matter beyond recall. Quite by chance Polly met Dr. Abbe while on her way to June Holiday Home. She was about to pass him with a pleasant word when she stopped abruptly. “Oh, Dr. Abbe!” she cried, “have you seen father?” The Doctor looked troubled.